Around the Scene: Dec. 10, 2009

Rick’s Cabaret has announced plans to build a new gentlemen’s club near the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, which would be the fifth venue in the DFW area for the company. Rick’s Cabaret’s CEO and president, Eric Langan, announced the publicly traded company will purchase the land for $2.4 million with another $2.1 million allocated for build out of the 10,000-square-foot space. Management hopes to open the new venue by next summer.

It seems as though there was a reason Tiger Woods was so often seen in nightclub and lounge venues around the country, as multiple claims of infidelity have arisen involving some well-known industry names from notable nightlife companies from Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York and Orlando. At the time of writing, the most damning claim seems to be from former Stone Rose waitress Jaimee Grubbs, who worked at the Rande Gerber-operated lounge at the Sofitel in Los Angeles. Grubbs released a voice message she claims was Woods in exchange for a reported $150,000 from a gossip pub. We won’t participate in rampant gossip mongering, especially since we personally know some of those involved, but something tells us there is much more to come.

What started as the eighth anniversary party for a Russian nightclub quickly turned to terror when a indoor fireworks display ignited the venue into flames, leaving 113 club-goers dead and more than 120 injured. The Lame Horse Nightclub in Perm, Russia, had been warned on multiple occasions and fined twice for failing fire safety regulations, according to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Ironically, the next fire inspection was set for the day following the anniversary party.

The former owner of several nightclubs in the D.C. area has been convicted of tax evasion for failing to pay almost $1 million in taxes from 2002 and 2003. Abdul Khanu, former owner of DC Live, H2O and Platinum, is charged with using club profits to pay wages and personal expenses. According to a prosecutor’s news release, authorities raided Khanu’s house and found $1.9 million in cash and a double set of books at his home. He could face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.